Right after the Gunst's left, we had to plan for the big cowboy wedding down the valley at the big town of Colona. Young feller fren Pat Smith and his beloved, Stephanie Kaiser, who put together the Rocky Mountain Dreams calendar last fall, finally got their act together and set July 21 as their knot tying day.

Pat & Steph

Jim Plumhoff, also a friend of Pat's, flew in on Friday for the festivities, and the first order of business was to get him a fishing license. Afterward we helped Pat unload tables and chairs for the wedding and reception. Then it was off fishing for the rest of the day. Got lots of lil ones and a few biguns!

Bigfish Plum

After the rehearsal that afternoon down at The End of the Road Ranch, we had burgers with Pat and Steph, then whisked the unsuspecting bridegroom off to Robert Sunn's rancho for a surprise bachelor party. Ole Robert had arranged for one of those stripper type gals to be imported from Grand Junction for the event. Pat were sure apprehensive, but it didn't take long to get him lubricated with some cold Coors. The party got loud and boisterous, and I regret there was only one picture that would qualify for a conservative website like mine!

Pat Gets Stripped

Next day Plum and I went back to fishing until time for the wedding. Jim was scheduled at the last minute to be a groomsman, so we had to gather up a dress western shirt and black vest. By 3 PM Annee, Plum, and I were gussied and down to the ranch bordering the Uncompaghre River, ready for the 100+ guests to arrive.

The Wedding

The wedding was scheduled under God's great cathedral, the wide open skys of Colorado. As is typical of all cowboy and redneck weddings, the wedding music was piped in via the DVDs in Stephanie's big Duramax. The wedding march was "The Broken Road That Led Me To You". The audience was brought to tears as the wedding party ,marched down the grassy aisle.

Cutting the Cake

Father Steve, a Greek Orthodox priest from Junction, presided and did a beautiful job under the exceptionally hot skys. It were so hot, Stephanie's son Levi, one of the groomsmen, actually passed out. After reviving him, the ceremony resumed like nothing happened. Finally, Pat and Steph had the know tied tightly and they were introduced as Mr. & Mrs. Smith [ sounds like a movie] to a standing ovation from the guests!

While wedding pics were taken, everyone took off for west end Colona and the reception at The Stockyards. Actually, the Stockyards was the original ole stockyards in Colona next to the slaughter house. The building is a pole building with a metal roof, and the floor is crushed gravel compacted. A huge bar with coolers has been built in and a rough cut dance floor centers the stage. Its a perfect community building for a rural community.

Everyone hit the bar for refreshments and the excellent barbecue dinner. The bride and groom received a seemingly endless line of well wishers, then it was time for the dancing. Pat and Steph's daughters dumped 6 large containers of baby powder on the rough dance floor and the music cranked up. [ Mrs Davidson's cotillion in Richmond could use some baby powder on the dance floor].

Boot Scootin

Mr. & Mrs. Smith kicked off the dancing with a wild western swing and some fancy boot scooting. Then the whole crowd had at it. Out here in the country a "money dance" is required at weddings, where guests can "buy" a dance with the bride or groom for a buck. I bought a dance with Steph, and Annee bought a dance with Pat. Annee was dumbfounded and surprised when Pat flipped her head over boots to the applause of all!

We left the festivities early and Plum and I were up early to catch a fish before he flew out. All in all, it was a great wedding weekend.

Annee Flips for the Groom

Coming Up

Annee and I are planning to catch up on fishing the rest of the summer and finally do some area exploring. The Olathe Corn Festival is coming up with Leann Rimes as the headliner. Then pretty quick hunting seasons will be kicking in. In October, we'll be heading back to Virginia for an extended visit. In the meantime, stay tuned for an update from us.

LOVE

ANNEE & DEE